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A Thousand Words features photography so rich with narrative that it tells a story all on its own.
May 2023The Martin v. Boise decision stands for the very simple principle that punishing a homeless person for undertaking basic, life-sustaining activities like sleeping or sheltering themselves — when there’s no adequate alternative accessible to them — is cruel and unusual under the Eighth Amendment to the Constitution.
By Thacher SchmidFebruary 2023My mother didn’t raise a thief, but by the time you round forty, you’re pretty much raising yourself. I scooped the package from its hiding place, then waved my free hand at the doorbell camera.
By Daniel Davis-WilliamsJune 2022Collecting bottles, tossing leftovers, taking out the garbage
By Our ReadersJanuary 2022Drugs can make us do stupid things — though, to be fair, drugs can also help us meet formidable demands. Meth can make you work hard as hell, the way my mom did, doing a full-time job at a farm-equipment company on weekdays and part-time retail jobs on weekends, until it all came crashing down.
By Jonathan Winston JonesJanuary 2022and Ronnie says Robert Hayden got / it right, a whipping be like that — “the face that I no longer / knew or loved” — damn, that’s it, right there and / Ronnie doesn’t blame his mama for beating him so bad, but / maybe she could have kept her pipe in the car and then maybe / he never would have ended up in a foster home
By Laurie Rachkus UttichAugust 2021“Imagine if we’d known,” I said. “If you’d had a diagnosis, you could have been given lithium or something to help you.” Joan lifted her hands to her face and sobbed.
By S.B. RoweMarch 2021I’m sick of being defined by the prison experience and long to be a normal human being with a past that doesn’t need to be discussed.
By Saint James Harris WoodMarch 2021Personal, political, provocative writing delivered to your doorstep every month—without a single ad.
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